After months of fevered preparations,C2-MTL, the new international business conference on commerce and creativity, officially opened yesterday in Montreal. From now through May 25th, more than 1,200 movers and shakers from some 40 countries will attend the unconventional immersive and collaborative event.

Over the next four days, some of the world’s leading innovators in all disciplines, including business people, artists and academics, will be in Montreal to talk creativity and share their insights. Google, Dreamworks, IBM, Fast Company and Cirque du Soleil are just some of the big names that will be at C2-MTL – and IBM and Arianna Huffington have both chosen C2-MTL as the venue for major announcements.

“People are genuinely pumped about C2-MTL,” said Benoît Berthiaume, Executive Producer of C2-MTL. “Just a few months ago, C2-MTL was no more than a gleaming, ambitious idea. Today, we are proud to announce that the event’s first edition has sold out. Nearly 50 public- and private-sector partners that want to spotlight Montreal’s creative talent have rallied behind C2-MTL, departing from the beaten path to help make this a trail-blazing event in terms of both the content and the experience. C2-MTL is aiming to break down the barriers between industries and spheres of activity to help forge original links between people and between organizations.”

“All the conditions are in place to make C2-MTL a success that will propel Montreal into the centre of the global conversation about creativity,” said Jean-François Bouchard, C2-MTL curator and president of Sid Lee. “We see C2-MTL as a big sandbox where everyone will want to come play. Our job isn’t to do it all but to organize a large-scale collaborative experience and give everyone a chance to express themselves and show what they can do. Our goal is to make this the largest annual event on creativity and innovation in the world, one that clearly positions Montreal on the world stage and provides a springboard for local talent.”

C2-MTL will extend well beyond the confines of the event and the borders of Montreal. Close to ten strategic alliances have been established with distribution partnerships (including AOL, Huffington Post, and Fast Company), which will allow C2-MTL to reach millions of business people across the planet.

People the world over will be able to follow many of the scheduled activities in real time on the C2-MTL.tv digital platform, which will offer in full HD format, a host of interviews, including interviews with daily interactive speakers and two live specials at: http://live.c2mtl.com/en. Three conferences will also be webcast in real time:

Today, May 23rd at 11:15 a.m. (EDT), Arianna Huffington, Editor-in-Chief, AOL Huffington Post Media Group, will present a world preview of a customized mobile app called “GPS for the Soul.”

Also today, at 6:30 p.m. (EDT), C2-MTL will broadcast a special on Fast Company‘s“100 most creative people in business 2012” list.

In addition to viewing these three talks, the public will be able to participate in C2-MTL via social media. Anyone who wants to put a question to director Francis Ford Coppola, former Walt Disney Group CEO Michael Eisner, Cirque du Soleil CEO Daniel Lamarre or the other high-profile speakers at C2-MTL can tweet it to #C2MTL. Interviews with the featured speakers will be broadcast live throughout the event.

Open house on May 26

After the conference is over, the public will be invited to check out the e-merge exhibition, as well as the immersive installation designed by Montreal-based Moment Factory, and an exhibit conceived by Paprika and presented by Mission Design. This section of the site will be open to the public on Saturday, May 26, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free admission.

C2-MTL is being held in an exclusive Innovation Village designed specifically for the event. The C2-MTL venue is as unique as the conference itself. Its centerpiece is the historic New City Gas complex, built in the 19th century to store the gas used to light the streets of Montreal. After years of disuse, New City Gas has been brought back to life to light up Montreal, city of creativity, once again.